Extraction of carboxylic acids from dilute aqueous solutions

ABSTRACT

MONO OR DICARBOXYLIC ACIDS CONTAINING FROM TWO TO FOUR CARBON ATOMS ARE EXTRACTED FROM DILUTE AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS WITH AN ORGANIC LIQUID COMPRISING ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING EXTRACTION: DIALKYL ALKYL PHOSPHONATES, ALKYL DIALKYL PHOSPHINATES, TRIALKYL PHOSPHINE OXIDES, DIALKYL ALICYCLIC AMIDOPHOSPHATES, DIALKYL SULFOXIDES AND TETRALKYL UREAS. AN IMPROVED METHOD FOR REMOVING CARBOXYLIC ACID CONTAMINANTS FROM AQUEOUS EFFLUENTS OR RECYCLE STREAMS IS PROVIDED.

Uni d W Patent 3,816,524 EXTRACTION OF CARBOXYLIC ACIDS FROM DILUTE AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS Robert R. Grinstead, Walnut Creek, Calif., assignor to The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Mich. No Drawing. Filed Aug. 31, 1972, Ser. No. 285,546

. Int. Cl. C07c 51/48 US. Cl. 260-527 R 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It has been proposed to recover various carboxylic acids from aqueous solutions by direct contact with several different types of polar organic extractants. For example, see the following patents:

Patent Acid recovered Extractant US. Pat. No. 2,275,862--- Acetic C6-C1!) dialkyl ketones. U.S. Pat. No. 2,395,010 do Amyl acetate or methyl amyl ketone.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,446,231 -do Ethyl dlsultide. U.S. Pat. No. 2,480,380--- Cyanoacettc Methyl isobutyl ketone. Czechoslovakla 137,177 Formic, acetic or Cyclohexanone.

(CA. 75:63155y). propionlc.

The organic extractants which have been proposed for recovery of carboxylic acids from aqueous solutions usually are not eflicient enough for the processing of highly dilute solutions. In general, such solutions can be recycled or, if they do not also contain more toxic and/or persistent materials, can be discarded without constituting a serious source of pollution. However, this is not always the case. For example, the well-known process for making phenol from chlorobenzene produces a waste brine stream containing about 18-20 wt. percent of sodium chloride, about 0.2% sodium acetate and trace amounts of phenol, benzene and acetone. Such streams, which cannot be disposed of in surface waters, also have too high a content of organics to be suitable as a feed to electrolytic chlor/ alkali cells. It has now been found that such solutions can be made suitable as cell feeds at a minimal cost. The sodium acetate content of the brine stream is converted to sodium chloride and acetic acid by addition of an equivalent amount of hydrochloric acid. The acetic acid is then suitably removed by the practice of the instant invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION atomic ratio in each of said acids is not less than 1.0 nor I greater than 2.0. The organic solvent comprises at least Patented June I I974 "ice one weight percent of a polar, extractant selected from the group consisting of: v f

(a) Dialkyl alkyl phosphonates, I R0\ 0 wherein each R is a C to C alkyl group, and the total number of carbons in the molecule is from 10 to 36;

(b) Alkyl dialkylphosphinates,

0 R0lT-R wherein each R is a C to C alkyl and the total number of carbons in the molecule is from 10 to 36;

(c) Trialkyl phosphine oxides,

RP O R wherein each R is a C to C alkyl and the total number of carbons in the molecule is from 10 to 36;

(d) Dialkyl alicyclic amidophosphates P-NHR wherein each R is a C to C alkyl and R is a C to C alicyclic radical;

(e) Dialkyl sulfoxides,

1i R'-sR' wherein each R is a C to C alkyl group and the total number of carbons in the molecule is at least 8; and

(f) Tetralkyl ureas,

O (R"CH2CH2)zNi JN(CH2CH2R") wherein each R" is a C to C alkyl group and the total number of carbons in the molecule is from 12 to 36.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Representative lower carboxylic acids which may be recovered by the instant method are as follows:

Atomic ratio of carbon to Acid Formula oxygen Acetic CHaCOOH 1.0 Propanoic CzHaCOOH 1.5 utyric C3H COOH 2.0 Crotonic CH3CH=CHCOOH 2.0 Propiolic- CH ':CCOOH 1.5 Cyanoacetic- NCCH2--COOH 1.5 Lactic CHs-CH(OH)COOH 1.0 Glycolic; ethylether- C2HsOCHz-C0OH 1. 33 Trifluoroacetlc--. CFaCOOH 1.0 Pyrnvic CHg-CO-COOH 1.0 Lactic; methyl eth CH;-GH(OCH;)COOH 1. 33

Malonic; mono methyl 0 1. 0

ester. II

CH3O-C-CH2COOH Ethane-l,1-dlcarboxylic H0O C-CH(CH;)CO0H 1. 0 Maleic or tumarlc HOOCOH=CHCOOH 1.0

2,3-dichloroacryllc Cl-CH=C C 0 0H 5 g l Acetylene dicarboxylic-- HOOC- zo-coorr 1.0 Methacrylie CH=C(CH;)COOH 2.0

The aqueous solution of the acid or acids to be recovered may additionally comprise any other dissolved or other organicsolutes, salts, suspended particles of carbon,

ion-exchange resins or cellulosic fibers may be present. Whether or notother organics co-extract with the acid is immaterial to the instant invention. If co-extraction does occur and it is desired to separate the recovered acid, this can be done in a number of ways apparent to those skilled in the art. Since the primary utility of the present process is as a late stage cleanup step before disposal or recycle of an efliuent, co-extraction of any other organics will generally be advantageous.

- Suitable organic liquids for the practice of the present invention have a negligible solubility in the aqueous solution to be treated and comprise at least one weight percent of one or more polar extractants selected from groups (a) through (f) in the preceding list. These extractants have been found satisfactory for the removal of lower carboxylic acids from dilute aqueous solutions. Those extractants which are liquids at the contemplated temperature of operation can be employed neat or diluted with an organic solvent which has little or no solubility in the aqueous acid solution to be processed. Those extractants which are solids-such as trioctyl phosphine oxidewill necessarily be dissolved in such a solvent.

The concentration of the extractant in the organic phase is primarily viscosity limited, but may be as high as 100 percent.

Examples of suitable organic diluents are kerosene, carbon tetrachloride, amyl acetate, toluene, ethyl benzyl ketone, dibutyl ether, benzonitrile, 2,2-dichloro propane, heptane, 1 nitrobutane, triethyl phosphite, l pentanol, ethoxy(triethyl) silane and l-fiuoropentane.

The choice of a diluent will depend on several factors generally apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the diluent must be a good enough solvent for the polar extractant or extractants to provide a total concentration of at least one weight percent. The diluent should not be significantly degraded by Whatever physical or chemical treatment is used to strip the extracted acid from the loaded extractant solution. If stripping is done by contacting with an aqueous liquid, for example, the stripped extractant phase should be immiscible with and readily disengaged from the aqueous phase.

Any appropriate method may be used to remove the carboxylic acid from the loaded extractant or extractant solution. For example, the solution may be stripped simply by contacting it with water. Since the instant extractants have a pronounced affinity for lower carboxylic acids, a number of volumes of water will be required to affect stripping. However, unless other organics co-strip, the resultant dilute strip solution will present no serious disposal problem. A considerably more efiicient method of stripping is to employ an aqueous solution of a base, such as sodium hydroxide. Alternatively, the loaded extractant phase may be directly contacted with gaseous ammonia and the resulting ammonium carboxylate separated by filtration or dissolved in a water wash. Still other methods will be apparent to those skilled in the art. In general, countercurrent stripping with an aqueous base is preferred.

SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS Example 1 A solution of 1920 ppm. (approximately 0.2 percent) of acetic acid in 18% aqueous NaCl was made up. A trace quantity of radioactive carbon-14 labeled acetic acid was included. Portions of this solution were shaken for thirty minutes with equal volumes of extractant solutions having the compositions set out in the following table. The phases were allowed to disengage, separated and their 'relative acetic acid concentrations determined by radiometric-counting in a scintillation counter. The distribution coefiicient (ratio of acetic acid concentrations in organic and aqueous phases) for each extraction is also given in the table.

Concen- Dis tritration bution extract- Solvent coefii Polar extractant ant, M usedcient Dibutyl butyl phosphonate 0. 1 Ciseyron 0. 23 Do" 1. 0a Trioctyl phosphine oxide 6. 1 Diethyl cyclohe xylarnido osphate- 1. 13 Di (n-butyl) sulfoxide 0. 18

A high boiling mixture of alkylated aromatic hydrocarbons, 50% distillati0npoint,161 C. V j

Example 2 In the manner of Example 1, about 0.025 molar aqueous solutions of acetic, glyoolic and lactic acids were extracted with equal volumes of TOPO (trioctyl phosphine oxide) solutions in keorsene or Chevron 3. The. distribution coeflicients found are given in the following table.

Distribution coeflicient for- TOPO concen- Aqueous Gly- Acetic colic Solvent tration, M phase Lactic Kerosene 0. 2 1 molar NaCl..- 1 1. 46 0. 13 0. 40 Chevron3 0.5 --do 3.2 0.39 1.2

Do. 0 5 Water 2.8 0.35 1.04

1 A high boiling petroleum solvent consisting of a mixture of alkylnted aromatic hydrocarbons, 50% distillation point, 188 C.

Extraction of acids with tetra-(n-butyl) urea.A 1.9% solution of acrylic acid in water was equilibrated with an equal volume of "a 28% solution of tetra-(n-butyl) urea in cyclohexane. Titration of the separated phases revealed a distribution coefiicient for the acrylic acid (organic/ aqueous) of 1.05. A similar experiment with 0.2% acetic acid in 18% sodium chloride as the aqueous phase, and 0.5 M tetrabutyl urea in Chevron 25 as the extractant, gave a distribution coeflicient of 0.40.

I claim: 1. A process for the recovery of lower carboxylic acids from dilute aqueous solution, comprising:

contacting said aqueous solution with a water-immis cible, liquid organic solvent for said acid,

said aqueous solution having a lower carboxylic acid content of two percent or less by weight, said content consisting of one or more two to four carbon monoor dicarboxylic acids substituted with from zero to three chlorines or fiuorines, or with zero or one hydroxyl, oxo, c'yano, methoxyl or ethoxyl group, the carbon to oxygen atomic ratio in each of said acids being not less than 1.0 nor greater than 2.0,

said organic solvent comprising a total of at least one weight percent of one or more trialkyl phosphine oxides,

wherein each R is a C to C alkyl and the total number of carbons in the molecule is from 10 to 3d,

5 6 and separating the resulting loaded extractant and rafli- References Cited Bate solutionsi I UNITED STATES PATENTS 2. The process of claim 1 in which said extractant is 3,470,238 9/1969 Asano et a1 N trioctylphosphine oxide.

3. The process of claim 1 in which said aqueous solu- 5 VIVIAN A NE p i Examiner tion is a brine containing about 18-20 wt. percent of sodium chloride and about 0.2 wt. percent sodium acetate Us which has been treated with an amount of hydrochloric 2.60 455.4, 485 S, 526 N, 526 R, 535 R, 537 N, 537 R, acid equivalent to the sodium acetate. 10 539 A, 539 R, 540, 541 

